Q: What is your primary area of study/research?A: My research involves genome-wide analyses of tumors and circulating cell-free tumor DNA to examine how cancer genomes evolve during immune checkpoint blockade. We have been combining genomic, transcriptomic and functional immune analyses to understand the mechanisms that mediate resistance to these therapies, using lung cancer as a prototype. My group also focuses on developing novel molecular approaches including dynamic immunogenomic assays for non-invasive detection of response to immune-targeted therapies.

Q: What influenced your decision to embark on a research career?A: Being able to constantly ask questions and formulate and test hypotheses has been one of the main reasons that I became a lab scientist. From very early on, I was fascinated by the dynamic nature of cancer during clonal tumor evolution. Most recently, with the advent of immune-targeted therapies, which have transformed cancer therapeutics, I became interested in the plasticity of the cancer-immune system crosstalk. It is an exciting time to be a cancer researcher!

Q; What excites you most about your research area?A: The mechanisms underlying response and resistance to immunotherapy are yet to be elucidated, which provides the ground for exciting research approaches. More importantly, our research has the potential to inform molecular response adaptive treatment strategies and change the treatment paradigm for cancer patients.

Q: What are your hobbies or passions outside of work?A: I love travelling and getting to know different cultures and building LEGO constructions with my son.